Upriver
by cowboy
Summary: Mulder goes up a river (wow! like the title!) during a flood. He'll find some crazy and gruesome things. And he'll take an introspective look at himself. *New chap- a town's gone to hell*
1. Far From Eden

Upriver  
  
Disclaimer- The show The X-Files, and all its characters ain't mine. (This disclaimer's short- I'm feeling lazy). Oh, and this story is an homage. Also, there are some naughty words in here.  
  
"And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights." Genesis 7:12  
  
Chapter 1:  
Far From Eden  
  
Ognoc, northern Minnesota. Tuesday, 12:11 p.m.  
  
The sky wavered on the brink of Heaven or Hell. Would it explode in a fury of rain? Or would it keep its vale of gray? The ants far below prayed for the latter.  
  
The ants scurried to and fro. Fro and to. They picked up objects here and there- crates, tables, chairs. Anything that wasn't nailed down. And some things that were. The ants were in a hurry. The waterfront was still cluttered with belongings. And the angry River was rising. Fast.  
  
"So who the hell did you say you were lookin' for, Agent Molding?"  
  
The gruff man was distracted. As he asked the question he hefted a box under his arm. He had more pressing business at hand. Saving his store. He didn't need some Fed bothering him.  
  
Fox Mulder exhaled. He was getting tired of running around. Chasing his ass. Time was short. He needed to find his man quick.  
  
"Conrad Butler. I'm looking for Conrad Butler. I believe he's with FEMA. If you-"  
  
The gruff man started away. Pressing business. The River was rising.  
  
"Oh? With FEMA? You oughta check the last dock. I think their boat's down there," he called over his shoulder.  
  
"Thanks," Mulder muttered.  
  
Mulder started down the waterfront. Under his arm he carried a blue duffel bag. The local owners bustled around him. They ran between their stores and cars. Back and forth. They never seemed to run out of belongings. The cars were lined up throughout the small street. Carpets, paintings, lamps, golf clubs, and a thousand chairs. They all stuck out from the running cars. In front of one store there was a line of people. They passed their belongings like an assembly line. They seemed detached from the bedlam. They were completely absorbed in their work. It was an odd display of order in the face of such chaos. After all, that's what it was: chaos.  
  
"Hey! Watch it!"  
  
A little girl pushed Mulder out of the way. She carried a small box. She clutched it close to her bosom. Mulder could only guess at its contents. Toys? Food? He'd never know. She shot an angry glance to Mulder. Her striking blue eyes rebuked him. He was taken aback. Then she ran on- red pigtails flapping. Mulder was speechless.  
  
"Oh, that's not bad. An hour ago a 13-year old tried to jumpstart my car and drive it in front of his dad's store."  
  
A tall, stout man smirked at Mulder. He had a weather-beaten face. He carried a crate.  
  
"It sure is a tough world," the man said.  
  
The man dodged around people. He carried the crate to a dock. The last one. The man jumped onto a white boat. The boat was bobbing furiously on the roaring River. He disappeared into the cabin. Mulder followed him. He stopped on the dock.  
  
"Excuse me! Are you Conrad Butler?" Mulder called.  
  
"Who wants to know?" an irritated voice called back.  
  
Then Butler emerged. He smirked again when he saw who it was.  
  
"Oh. It's you. What do you want?"  
  
Mulder flashed his badge.  
  
"A G-Man? Out here?"  
  
"I think the Bureau already contacted you about my passage."  
  
Butler snapped his fingers.  
  
"Ohhhhhh. Shit. I remember you know. Agent Mulder. The crazy fella who wants to go upriver with us."  
  
Butler shook his head slowly.  
  
"Buddy, I had to give the guys on this crew an extra 1500 cash. Upfront. Each. Just to come along with me. You're insane to come along for free."  
  
Mulder started to reply. But Butler went back into the cabin.  
  
"Come onboard!" he called from inside.  
  
Mulder leaped onto the swinging boat. He landed with a thud.  
  
"Oh, and watch the jump!"  
  
Butler peeked out. Mulder sat sheepishly on his ass. Butler chuckled and went back into the cabin. Mulder got up. He straitened his clothes. There was a lot of mud. Good thing he wasn't wearing a suit. Mulder steadied himself. Then he went into the cabin.  
  
It was pretty well organized. And pretty cramped. But still better than the chaos outside. Butler stood at the far end. By the wheel. He stared out across the River. There were some bunks along one side. The sheets were neatly folded. Except the top bunk. A young guy lay sleeping there. He faced the wall. He snored loudly. Butler saw Mulder eye him.  
  
"That's Reed. He had a rough night."  
  
The young guy rolled over. His face was black and blue. He kept snoring.  
  
"I see."  
  
Butler smiled.  
  
"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A Packers fan in Viking country. He was lucky he only lost a couple teeth."  
  
Mulder smiled.  
  
"Serves him right."  
  
Mulder turned towards the voice. A man sat at a nailed-down table. He drank some beer from a bottle. He had timed it so that with each swing of the boat the beer would meet his mouth. It was an odd act. It reminded Mulder of the figures that pop out of cuckoo clocks.  
  
"Oh, and you can talk now Alec? Remember last year when you woke up in a garbage dump with no pants?"  
  
Alec kept up his morose repetition. But his other hand slowly rose. Finally it stopped. Only a middle finger remained standing.  
  
"So is that how many times you've been laid?" Butler quipped.  
  
He shook his head. He looked back to Mulder.  
  
"Sorry. But these *gentlemen* aren't with the federal government. I just contract their work whenever I need them in this area."  
  
Butler left the steering wheel. He motioned for Mulder to have a seat at the table. Mulder sat down across from Alec. Alec nodded to him. Then he kept on drinking. Butler came over.  
  
"This is the River."  
  
Butler laid out a map on the table. The blue River ran straight through it. Areas where the River had flooded valleys were shaded blue as well. The River sat there, like an uncoiled snake. The shaded areas looked like lumps of swallowed animals. It was powerful. Even by just looking at the dead map, Mulder felt its power. The rush of water against the hull echoed in his head. It whispered to him. The River was saying something to him. Wasn't it? Nah. He hadn't slept in a while. He was just going crazy. Hell, he was crazy just to be here.  
  
"There's gonna be more snowmelt. If you think its rough now, you should see when it's another 15 feet higher. And if it rains on top of that- hoo boy! Then we're in for a real shitstorm! We're only going on this trip to see which areas need what supplies. We'd go by helicopter- except there'd be no place to land! You sure you still wanna come?"  
  
Alec laughed. Now Mulder was resolute. He wasn't about to back down. Not for these idiots. Not even for the angry River.  
  
"Yes. I understand what I'm doing."  
  
"Just what kinda case you workin' on that's so damn important?" Alec asked.  
  
Mulder shot him a cold look.  
  
"Nothing you need to know."  
  
Alec put his beer down. He looked bored.  
  
"Fine. I'm goin' down to see Kent."  
  
Butler leaned in to Mulder, "Kent's the engineer."  
  
Alec walked to the corner across from the wheel. He lifted up a square of wood. He climbed into the black hole left behind. Then he was gone.  
  
"See ya later Chief!" he sarcastically called from the darkness.  
  
Butler got up. Mulder shakily followed him back outside. Butler turned back to Mulder.  
  
"You'll get used to the rushing water. You'll get your balance."  
  
He paused.  
  
"You know, I still have to pick up some supplies."  
  
He hopped back onto the dock.  
  
"Its funny. Normally I can't feel the water under my feet when I step on a dock."  
  
Butler looked down. Just underneath the wood brown water roiled. He shook his head.  
  
"We're in for a real shitstorm," he muttered.  
  
Butler disappeared into the frenzy of people. Mulder was left standing there. Staring at the raging brown water. It continued to echo inside him.  
  
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Man, I'm one procrastinating (some might say 'incubating') bastard. I started this days ago. I didn't like how it was going. But rather than make some changes right away, I just let it sit around. Ah well, at least I've written this far. The story's probably confusing now. Don't worry, I'll explain a lot more as it goes on. And I think it'll be pretty angst filled.  
  
- Your writer of fiction, who is also a fan (so maybe I write 'fanfiction'? Hmmmm.) 


	2. Bedlam

"Most people are good only so long as they believe others to be so." Friedrich Hebbel

**Chapter 2:**

**Bedlam**

On the River. Wednesday, 8:07.

Their skins looked like wet newspapers. A pale grayish-green. Their eyes were empty red sockets. That was bad enough. But the sheer terror frozen on their faces- it shook him. A wild and primal look. Like hunted prey. It was like the bodies still writhed in agony. The eyes would normally show a victim's pure fear. That was why he was glad they'd been cut out this time. They had been dead for days. There would be no more anguish. All they needed now was some justice.

Oh, he'd seen brutality before. Back when he was on Violent Crimes. He thought he'd numbed himself. Thought his skin was tough enough. But every so often… something tugs at your insides. Makes you wonder about human nature. About what makes us better than animals…

Mulder closed the folder. He rubbed his eyes. It was never good to look at that stuff for too long. He'd seen veterans lose it. Big time. And the _last_ thing he wanted was to flip out in the middle of a -what was it?- oh yeah, "shitstorm."

They'd been chugging along for a day now. The sky had held its fury. There would be no rain yet.

"Well that's nice. But that certainly ain't stoppin' the River from risin'" Butler had noted.

He was right. Since they had left Ognoc, the churning muddy River was at least 7 feet higher. And it showed no sign of stopping.

Mulder got to his feet. He took the folder off the table. He didn't want anyone else knowing this bloody business. Mulder found his duffel bag and put the folder back. Reed slumbered loudly again on the top bunk. He didn't seem to do much of anything. Well, he _was _allbeat up. Mulder shook his head. He thought back to some of his years in England. They'd been pretty rough too. But then again, that just made it more fun.

Mulder wanted some air. He stepped outside. He's gotten his balance the night before. Now all he had to do was get used to taking a piss while the boat rocked. Mulder leaned against the doorframe. He stared out at the destruction of the River. They hadn't passed any towns, but the River's power was still clear. All around the boat, bare trees just poked above the water. They were silent sentinels to the pure strength of the River. The ones that hadn't been ripped away tilted oddly with the flow. It was as if a giant had brushed his hand across the land. Mulder tried to bring his mind to bear on the case. But it wouldn't stick. He kept on wondering about the River. About that rushing force of water. There seemed to be no end or beginning to it. It was just there. To awe man and animal alike. Mulder was certainly lost in it. There was something untamed there…

"Agent Mulder! We got a town comin' up!"

Mulder turned. It was Butler. He stood by the wheel. A map lay across the instrument panel. The blue River snaked across it.

Butler turned to Mulder.

"It should be around the next bend."

Butler turned back to the wheel.

"We'll be makin' a stop there. I'll be seein' what supplies they'll need airlifted here."

Alec came in from the aft section. He held an oily rag.

"Anchor's fixed up, Chief."

Alec nodded to Mulder. Then he walked to the kitchen area. He dropped the rag in the sink. Then his hand emerged with a bottle of beer. Alec looked to Mulder.

"Keeps the cold out," he said offering the bottle to Mulder.

"No thanks. I'm fine."

"Suit yourself, bro," Alec said with a smile, "but you'll be needing this once the River starts getting angry. You, know it's just toyin' with us now."

Alec was prodding Mulder. Testing to see what he was made of. Mulder wasn't about to show weakness. And he wanted to test Alec as well.

"Don't worry about me."

They eyed each other. Alec sipped his beer slowly. Mulder leaned against a wall. Only the hum of the engine and the rush of the River were audible.

"Town's close!"

They both stepped up behind Butler. As they rounded a hill, the town slowly came into view.

"Damn."

The town was farther up along the riverbank. It was safe from the water for now. But it wasn't safe from Man.

Butler turned to Alec.

"Wake up Reed. And get the equipment."

Alec went off. Butler turned to Mulder. His face was blank. But his eyes flickered.

"Agent Mulder- if you have a weapon- I'd get it now."

Mulder went back to his bag. He pulled out his pistol. He put it on his back, in his waistband. He'd forgotten his holster back in Washington. After he'd been called…

"Hey!"

Butler's call brought Mulder's mind back.

"Kent! Get up here!"

A string of swears replied back. But soon enough they were all by Butler. They all stared at the town.

Along the flooded River's bank, three buildings blazed wildly. Their flames leaped up at the pale sky. People ran wildly about the cluttered streets- smashing, stealing, destroying. If Mulder thought he'd seen chaos at Ognoc- he was wrong. This was anarchy. Pure and terrifyingly simple. Cars were upturned. Some burned. Bodies lay sprawled on the sidewalks. They were ignored by the living. Above the River's roar there were yells, shrieks, and moans.

The boat pulled up into a street. The River had risen that high. Alec ran to the aft and tossed the anchor over. It splashed into the shallow water. Alec ran back in.

Butler spoke up.

"Listen- you boys'll guard the boat. Me and Agent Mulder are gonna go ashore and get some information."

Butler looked to Mulder. The chaos unnerved him. But he had a job to do. Answers to find. Justice to serve. Mulder nodded back.

"Here, Chief."

A bleary eyed Reed handed a shotgun to Butler. Mulder raised his eyebrows. Butler caught the surprise. He smiled, and they walked to the aft.

"Agent Mulder, once, in northern Oklahoma, I came in after a tornado touched down during a church sermon. Most people survived. But half the down was knocked down. They took it upon themselves that God was punishing the town for its wicked people. So they went to the local prison and started beating everyone in there. Beating them badly. So when I got there they thought I was a messenger of Satan. I barely got out to call the state police. By the time they got back, 5 guys were in comas."

Butler stopped at the boat's edge. He turned back to Mulder.

"Since then, I always bring a little protection." Butler lifted the shotgun- "Because I've seen what disaster can bring out in people. And it ain't something pretty."

Butler turned back to the water.

"We'll be getting' a little wet."

He jumped. Mulder followed. The grimy water rushed around them. They trudged up the street. Butler brushed aside a facedown body that floated by. Mulder wanted to check it. But Butler waved him on. He wanted to spend as little time in the dying town as possible. Eventually they passed the River's reach. Mud clung to their sides. People raced around them. The floodwater was seemed calm in comparison.

"What do you think? Should we head for the police station?"

Mulder knew this wasn't the town he needed to be in. But it would help to have some information.

"Yeah. That's our best bet."

They ran down the street. Where, they didn't know. They just knew they were in a hurry. Along their side a row of broken buildings stood. All the windows were empty. Glass was strewn on the pavement. People jumped in and out of the shops. At one point a man ran head-on into Butler. They grappled frantically. Mulder stepped in. But before he did anything, Butler knocked the man over with the shotgun butt. He kneeled over the stammering figure.

"Hey! Buddy! I'm with FEMA!"

Butler grabbed the man's collar. The man's darting eyes met Butler's.

"Where's the police station?"

The man laughed wildly.

"Hey!" -Butler shook the man- "Where is it?"

The man's shaking hand pointed to a building. A burning one. Butler let out a low whistle.

"So where's your police chief?" Mulder asked.

The man laughed rowdily again.

"Gone."

"Gone?"

"Took the last boat left- along with his family."

The man snapped his fingers for emphasis. Butler got up. He stepped back with Mulder. The man got up. He jumped into a shop. Crashing sounds followed.

"There's nothing we can really do here. We haven't-"

Butler ducked as a rock flew by. It broke one of the few remaining windows. Mulder stared as people jumped into the store. It had appliances. Lord knew they didn't need appliances at a time like this. But Mulder doubted usefulness mattered. Convenience was more like it. Butler just continued like nothing had happened.

"We haven't got the resource or manpower to do anything here. After all, I'm just here on reconnaissance. I just radio in where supplies can be airlifted. I can't return law and order to a place like this. The best we can do is call in what we've found. We've got more towns to check."

He looked at the ground. His shoulders slumped

"Christ. Up close, this is worse than I thought it'd be."

Mulder was glad Butler didn't ask about his business. If Butler knew what Mulder was there for… well then it would be a _lot_ worse than he thought.

"Come on. Let's go," Mulder said in a low voice.

They ran back through the chaos. Through the looting people. Though they looted en masse, they still fought over goods. It was an odd combination. But Mulder didn't have time to think about it. He just kept running after Butler. Eventually they made it back to the street leading to the boat. Mulder was tempted to look back. To take in the mayhem. To see how human nature, as Butler put it, "ain't something pretty." But Mulder didn't look. He was turning his back on these people. And he knew he'd stay- flood be damned- if he looked back. His conscience was in a struggle with his mind. Mulder wasn't sure who'd win.

But then they reached the boat. Butler started up a rope ladder. Mulder followed him. But halfway up, he looked over his shoulder. The people still ran about. Mayhem. Chaos. Bedlam. Mulder stopped. The struggle was over.

Then an arm reached down and pulled him up. Mulder found himself sitting on the deck. Alec smiled at him. He'd seen the hesitation.

"So how was it?"

Mulder got to his feet. The boat started moving. Reed was at the wheel. Butler was yelling irately into the radio. Mulder felt dirty. And not just from the mud.

"I'll take that beer."

Behind him, another building burst into flames.

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Well- I would've had this in earlier, but it seems me and about 50 million other people were lacking in electricity. If you're wondering about Scully, I'll explain her absence (along with Mulder's 'business') as the story develops. But she might come into the story later. I'm not sure yet. Anyhoo, I'm off on vacation for 10 days or so (hey, a guy's gotta grab R&R when he can). So it might be sometime before there's an update,

- Your (hopefully) Favorite Author

P.S. I wondering if you can pick the story (and author) this is homage to. I've left some hints in the story. If you get it, you're clever- not in the least for making some sense of my odd writing.


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